By request we have located information on the topic of dangers posed by leaking microwave ovens. Apparently some people have doubts about the safety of their oh-so-convenient cooking devices.

After doing a little reading on the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) web site, it appears as though the majority of microwave ovens do not put the general public at risk — unless the devices have obvious structural problems.

In fact, it seems that microwave ovens pose very little danger at all in so long as seals, latches, etc. all funtion the way they ought to.

There is little cause for concern about excess microwaves leaking from ovens unless the door hinges, latch, or seals are damaged. In FDA’s experience, most ovens tested show little or no detectable microwave leakage. If there is some problem and you believe your oven might be leaking excessive microwaves, contact the oven manufacturer, a microwave oven service organization, your state health department, or the nearest FDA office.

A word of caution about the microwave testing devices being sold to consumers: FDA has tested a number of these devices and found them generally inaccurate and unreliable. If used, they should be relied on only for a very approximate reading. The sophisticated testing devices used by public health authorities to measure oven leakage are far more accurate and are periodically tested and calibrated. ( source )

So basically, if your microwave oven creaks, rattles, makes obscene whirring and grinding noises, and/or operates freely even with the door open, you probably want to A) Get it repaired or B) Throw it out and buy a new one.

Tags: microwave oven leak detector, microwave oven leaking

We can remember a time when pretty much everyone we knew viewed the water coming from the water cooler at work as the safest and most pure water possible. The thought of bacteria living in the water cooler never crossed our minds.

Our thought process changed after reading some interesting statisitics including, but not limited to, how often water cooler fixtures get cleaned, storage times for water cooler bottles before use, storage conditions for water cooler bottles before use, etc.

Some people, including ourselves, have started to shy away from public water coolers and instead use personal water filtration devices such as washable, refillable water bottles with Level 2 Filters. Most tap water contains a low level of sanitizer which keeps it bateria-free and the filters in our personal water bottles remove the residual sanitizer, and other nasty things such as metals, from the tap water right before we consume it — making it as freshly purified as possible.

Grip Sport Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Sports Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Level 2 Filter Replacement Cartridges

When you tell a person that you detect the smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) in your home they will immediately ask you if you have sulfur, usually in the form of hydrogen sulfide gas, in your water supply.

Performing a simple test for hydrogen sulfide in water will confirm what your nose told you… or will it?

Yes, the test for hydrogen sulfide in water can confirm the presence of hydrogen sulfide in your drinking water, but what happens when the test comes back negative and you still have the rotten egg smell in your home?

For some folks, the answer lies in the walls all around them…

The Cramers — along with thousands of other homeowners in Florida and elsewhere — now believe that imported Chinese drywall is making them sick and destroying their property. The drywall, which is used in walls and ceilings, is emitting sulfur-compound gases that homeowners have described as giving off a sour or “rotten egg” odor. Many blame the fumes for eye, skin and breathing irritation and nosebleeds, as well as the corrosion of copper pipes, electrical wiring and air conditioners. ( source )

What does that mean to the average homeowner experiencing problems with the smell of rotten eggs in their home? It means they may need to test their water for hydrogen sulfide and check to see what kind of drywall the builders used in the construction of their home.

Homeowners w/ questions about the materials used to build their home should first contact their builder. If that does not yield satisfactory results, contact the local Health Department and ask them what they believe you ought to do next.

Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Test Strips 0, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 ppm (IT-481197-20) Contains 30 Test Strips, Result in 20 Seconds

Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Test Strips 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 ppm (IT-481197-1) Contains 50 Test Strips, Result in 31 Seconds

We post information about this product again by request. You’re welcome, Steve H. from Omaha.

Depicted on the left you see the wireless water sensor transmitter & receiver which detects water overflow, water leakage, rising water etc. The base unit sounds an audible alarm when the remote sensor detects water.

The earlier you learn about a potential flood the faster you can react. Faster reaction times mean less damage and less damage means less money you will have to spend on cleaning up after the flood.

As an added bonus, the wireless base unit has the ability to monitor up to (4) four different sensors. Available wireless sensors include flood/water detectors, infrared motion detectors, sensors to detect the opening of garage doors, and sensors to detect the opening of doors & windows.

Household Alert® Wireless Garage Door Alarm TRANSMITTER ONLY (GM318T) with Lithium Battery; to be used with GM318R Base Unit or WA-318 Alarm Kit $19.00 $14.95

Household Alert® Wireless Infrared Motion Sensor TRANSMITTER ONLY (HA318T) with Lithium Battery; to be used with GM318R Base Unit or WA-318 Alarm Kit $29.00 $17.95

Household Alert® Wireless Window/Door Alarm TRANSMITTER ONLY (WD318T) with Lithium Battery; to be used with GM318R Base Unit or WA-318 Alarm Kit $19.00 $15.22

Tags: door alarm, flood alarm, garage door alarm, Motion Detector, water alarm, window alarm, wireless alarm system

Save money with rechargeable batteries. Instead of buying new batteries all the time for your electronic meters and gadgets you may want to consider investing in rechargeable batteries. You will save money in the long run AND you will help to reduce the amount of thrash (dead disposable batteries) that go into your local landfill.

The rechargeable battery kit pictured here comes with (4) four AA and (4) four AAA batteries and has the ability to recharge both Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargreable batteries. Though not included with the kit, it also can recharge C and D sized rechargeable batteries using (included) adapters.

Oh, and rechargeable batteries come in handy for times like… Christmas, too, when all the kids’ new toys, gadgets, gizmos and remote control whatevers need batteries.

Tags: batteries, battery charger, rechargeable AA batteries, rechargeable AAA batteries, rechargeable batteries, rechargeable NiCd batteries, rechargeable NiMH batteries

All the right test equipment in the world will do you no good if you cannot SEE the test equipment or the things you need to test. So therefore we advise everyone to have a flashlight of one sort or another handy. Whether you choose a traditional handheld flashlight or one that leaves both your hands free to perform your testing, no technician should ever get caught with their pants down… or without a flashlight.

Inova T3 Tactical Flashlight (NV-T3WB) Black Body, 3 Watt White Led $74.95 $62.95

Headlamp: Streamlight Green Trident™ LED (61051) with Alkaline Batteries $36.95 $29.95

Headlight: Ultra-Bright LED (V-ZLHL510) with Adjustable Headband, Batteries & Optional Fixed Clip $9.99 $5.75

Tags: flashlight, headlamp, led flashlight, portable light source

Today we have two very different devices capable of detecting carbon monoxide in the air. The first hangs on the wall and warns homeowners of a potentially dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide gas and the other helps technicians fine tune the combustion process of various fuels. The second device also works as a screening tool for spot checking emissions levels of automobiles, gas furnaces, etc.

CO Carbon Monoxide Alarm Wall Mount/Portable (CDK22) Battery Operated with Batteries and Hardware $29.95 $19.99

Combustion Analyzer: Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide & Carbon Monoxide (C125KIT) with Infrared Printer, Stainless Steel Flue Probe, 9′ Hose & Case $1,297.95 $1,165.00

Tags: Carbon Monoxide, carbon monoxide detector, combustion analyzer

Did you know that tree leaves can cause water quality ‘issues’?

Leaves contain various acids which can throw off the water’s pH. Sometimes even the slightest change in pH can have a dramatic effect on the aquatic ecosystem and result in species of plants and/or fish no longer thriving or worse yet, dying off entirely.

Fallen leaves contain nutrients that can contribute to the growth and flourishing of algae blooms in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. Over the course of their lifetime these blooms can have detrimental effects on the ecosystem such as reducing the oxygen level in the water. Without oxygen in the water other types of aquatic life such as fish and other plants cannot live.

“Where you rake them (leaves) could have a major impact on water quality and the environment,” said Chad Cook, natural resource educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

He said leaves that are raked into the street or roadway could blow away and end up plugging storm sewer drains or, worse yet, polluting Lake Winnebago with nutrients that cause algae blooms and rob oxygen from the water.

Cook said a major concern is phosphorous from leaves, which serves as a fertilizer for plants and algae living in the water.

“What happens is we see algae blooms every year when there’s sunshine and warm weather in the summer,” said Cook, whose office is in the James P. Coughlin Center in Oshkosh. “Algae blooms makes the water green and if it piles up the blooms can decay and smell. As it decays, it can use up the oxygen in the water that could have been used by fish. That’s when you might see dead fish floating in algae.”

He said there are concerns for humans and animals from blue-green algae.

“It’s a type of algae that contains toxins and if those toxins are in a great enough quantity they can impact humans who wade or swim in the water,” Cook said. “A couple of days later they can have a rash.”

He said dogs and other animals that swim in the lake could ingest water with algae.

“Every year in Wisconsin there’s a dog or two who is in the water and dies and one of the likely causes is ingesting blue-green water from an algae bloom,” Cook said.

He said leaves can also plug up storm sewer drains. Clogged drains, he said, can lead to street flooding. ( source )

It never ceases to amaze us how so many simple things such as the improper disposal of leaves can have an adverse effects on the environment.

News reports continually talk about the ways in which illegal narcotics destroy lives, break up families, ruin careers, take lives, and cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Have you ever heard of illegal marijuana browers destroying the environment, though?

We had not, either, until just now. Quite frankly, when we think of pot growers, we envision hippies growing a few plants for themselves and their friends… and we also believe that most hippies care what happens to the Earth and would not want to see it harmed in any way, shape or form.

Too bad our little fantasy bears little resemblance to reality! It seems as though the money-hungry, drug dealing folks growing illegal marijuana don’t consider the environment (at all) and cause serious harm with their sloppy farming techniques and extremely poor waste management policies — meaning they leave open bags of fertilizer and pesticides laying around and leave the trash they generate (typical garbage AND human waste) behind once they have harvested their illegal marijuana crops.

Sometimes growers use rural private property, as in Belleview, unbeknownst to the land owner. But most of the gardens are found on U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service or Bureau of Land Management land.

It’s problematic from the public safety standpoint, and also an environmental one.

“Pictures cannot capture what goes on out there,” Nichols said. “Environmentally, it’s a mess.”

Grow sites tear up the ground, use highly-toxic chemicals and leave behind months worth of trash in remote areas where water quality and wildlife are affected, officials say.

Even when gardens are raided, the damage to the environment has already been done.

“They’re destroying our public lands,” said Kevin Mayer, special agent with the Sierra National Forest. “They’re killing wildlife — mountain lions, bear and deer. They’re killing fish. They’re poisoning our water system.” ( source )

The piss poor and quite irresponsible antics of illegal marijuana growers result in chemical runoff often containing pesticides, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, bacteria, etc. All of which throw off the surrounding ecosystem’s delicate natural balance and undoubtedly harm or kill off indigenous plant and animal life.